FIGHT FOR LONG RANGE FARM 



BILL TOLD AT SI PAUL MEETING 



THE DRAMATIC story of how the 

 Farm Bureau secured passage of a 

 long-range farm program in the 

 closing hours of the 80th Con- 

 gress highlighted the sessions of 

 the Midwest Farm Bureau Training 

 School late in June at St. Paul. 



A farm audience of more than 1000 

 local, county and state Farm Bureau 

 leaders heard the story first hand from 

 those who directed the fight in Washing- 

 ton. 



The men who told of Farm Bureau's 

 part in securing passage of the bill were 

 Allan Kline, president of the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation, and Roger 

 Fleming, director of the AFBF Washing- 

 ton office, who came to the meeting direct 

 from the nation's capitol. 



Three other major addresses were 

 given by spokesmen from the Illinois Ag- 

 ricultural Association. President Charles 

 B. Shuman discussed the commodity pro- 

 gram of the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation. George E. Met2ger, lAA 

 field secretary, spoke on personnel pro- 

 blems in Farm Bureau work. O. D. Bris- 

 senden, lAA organization director, talked 

 on the issues in selling Farm Bureau. 



Most Washington observers had made 

 up their mind that there would be no 

 long range bill passed during this season, 

 Kline and Fleming said. 



But a small senate group, headed by 

 Senator George D. Aiken of Vermont 

 was determined to fight a long range 

 farm program through this session. This 

 group in the senate, according to Flem- 

 ing, included Senators Thye of Minne- 

 sota, Young of North Dakota, Ellender 

 of Louisiana, and Lucas of Illinois. 



Fleming related how these men pushed 

 their fight into the closing hours of the 



18 



80th Congress. At 4 A.M. Sunday, June 

 20, the new bill passed both houses. A 

 weary Congress adjourned two hours 

 later. 



During their fight for the farm bill 

 the senate group had the solid backing 

 of Farm Bureau forces. Fleming quoted 

 Senator Aiken as saying, "If it hadn't 

 been for support from the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation, we couldn't 

 have put this price support program 

 over." 



Senator Aiken said that from start to 

 finish the Farm Bureau carried a major 

 part of the fight for a long-range farm 

 bill, and he expressed his deep apprecia- 

 tion. 



Kline expressed his gratitude for the 

 support given by county and state Farm 

 Bureaus. "We needed the help we re- 

 ceived from back home," Kline said. 

 "We could not have won without it." 



County Farm Bureau leaders in Illi- 

 nois, many of whom were at the St. Paul 

 conference, supported the bill by contrat- 

 ing their congressmen and senators, 

 urging them to pass the Aiken bill. 



The long range bill provides for an 

 extension of present price supports un- 

 til Dec. 31, 1949, after which time the 

 new permanent program will go into 

 effect. 



The permanent program revises parity 

 on a current 10-year moving average 

 basis rather than present parity which is 

 based on the years 1909-14. 



For basic crops, supports are placed 

 on a sliding scale, based on supply, 

 ranging from 60 to 90 per cent of parity. 

 When the supply of certain basic farm 

 commodities, including corn and wheat, 

 is normal, the price will be supported 

 at 75 per cent of parity. 



But when the supply is above or be- 



i^n* ▼•m vflftMiOffi/ iiiKiiy#ST orQOfil* 

 ■otien director, during mid-wast Farm 

 Bureau training iclioel in St. Paui 

 points to lilinoi* a* tho iargott state 

 Farm Burecni organization, liiineis or- 

 ganisation directors, ieft to right, ares 

 F. W TIeken, Ford; O. W. Burrougiis, 

 Vermilion; 6. W. Ikmchard, Cliristian; 

 and Orviiie Johnston, Montgomofy. 

 Right. Clyde Stackhouse, right center, 

 bursts Into hearty laugh, |ained by 

 wife, right, and Mr. and Mrs. H. M. 

 Johnston, left, farmers, all from Henry 

 county, during breakfast at midwest 

 training school. 



low normal, the support level will slide 

 up and down accordingly. As an ex- 

 ample, when the supply drops to 70 per 

 cent of normal, the support will be 90 

 per cent of parity. When supply rises 

 to 30 per cent above normal, the support 

 will be 60 per cent of parity. 



This means that farmers will receive 

 more nearly the same income whether 

 the crop is large or small. 



Tillman To Retire 

 After 29 Years 

 In St. Clair Co. 



B.W. TILLMAN, farm adviser in St. 

 Clair county for 29 years, has an- 

 nounced he will retire in September. 

 Tillman is the only farm adviser to 

 serve St. Clair county. He was hired 

 soon after the Farm Bureau was organ- 

 ized there in June of 1919. 



All of the cooperative organizations 

 in St. Clair county were started originally 

 through Tillman's efforts. He is one of 

 Illinois' most valued and respected farm 

 advisers. 



L A. A. RECORD 



C( 



